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Richmond Basketball: 2021-22 season preview for the Spiders

By Jake Verboven

Nov 27, 2020; Lexington, Kentucky, USA; Richmond Spiders forward Grant Golden (33) talks to a referee after receiving a technical foul in the first half against Morehead State at Rupp Arena at Central Bank Center. Mandatory Credit: Jordan Prather-USA TODAY Sports
Nov 27, 2020; Lexington, Kentucky, USA; Richmond Spiders forward Grant Golden (33) talks to a referee after receiving a technical foul in the first half against Morehead State at Rupp Arena at Central Bank Center. Mandatory Credit: Jordan Prather-USA TODAY Sports /
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Dji Bailey Richmond Basketball (Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images)
Dji Bailey Richmond Basketball (Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images) /

Key Reserves

The Spiders bench will see all of the same faces from last year off the bench. They bring in four new freshmen, however, it is hard to see any of them with the exception of Malcolm Dread cracking the rotation without injuries. It will interesting to see how deep Mooney will go with more weapons at his disposal.

Guard – Connor Crabtree

Crabtree should be the spark off the bench for Chris Mooney in 2020-21. A transfer from Tulane, Crabtree was eligible last season following sitting out in 2019-20.  He looked like an important piece to the Richmond rotation before fracturing his foot four games in. Back in 2018-19, he was averaging 7.1 ppg and 2.0 rpg for the Green Wave. He also led a 4-27 Tulane team in three-point percentage while starting half of their games as a freshman.

The 6’6 guard is certainly not afraid to let them go from deep and should provide the instant offense off the bench that was missing last year. His size and ball skills allow him to fill in at the 2 or the 3 for the Spiders. Crabtree could be the direction Mooney goes to as the starting shooting guard to begin the year.

Guard – Andre Gustavson

The other option Mooney could go with at the 2 if Sherod isn’t ready is Andre Gustavson. At 6’4 195lbs, he brings a much different dynamic than Crabtree. A defensive-minded, strong guard who plays his role nearly to perfection. A defensive stopper who moves well without the ball, he has been Mooney’s most trusted guard off the bench the past two years after starting in 2018-19. He must improve his shot to keep his minutes this year, with Crabtree and Dread coming into the rotation.

Forwards – Matt Grace/Souleymane Koureissi

The 6’9 backup bigs play a limited, but important, role for Chris Mooney’s squad. Grace brings floor spacing with his three-point shooting ability. Grace and Golden may have similar hairstyles and names, yet their games are fairly different. The former being more of a finesse stretch big, while the latter prefers to bang inside and dish to teammates.

Koureissi on the other hand is similar to Cayo in the way he is able to defend multiple positions and get to the basket. He compliments Grace nicely by being more of an around-the-basket rebounder.

Guards – Isaiah Wilson/ Malcolm Dread

Isaiah Wilson played as the backup point guard to a man who was top 10 in the country in minutes played per game this past season.  A speedy guard, who showed nice touch from beyond the arc in limited minutes will be fighting for Gilyard’s backup minutes with hometown freshman Jason Nelson.

Malcolm Dread is the wildcard for this Spiders team. He is listed at 6’4 210 pounds and looks every bit of it. The Washington D.C product could find himself anywhere from the starting lineup to fighting for minutes off the bench. He has high upside and his shooting and size should help him find a way into the Spiders’ rotation in 2021-22.

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